The invention relates to a cover for servicing holes in automotive service stations comprising a band of parallel support members pivotably connected with one another by links and guided at their ends by a pair of upper horizontal guide rails arranged on upper longitudinally extending supporting rails at the upper edges of the hole respectively, the band longitudinally displaceably arranged at said guide rails, at least one pair of chain wheels fastened on a cross-wise extending shaft mounted for rotation in the upper region of the hole at one end thereof, a driving motor for driving the shaft in opposite directions, the pair of chain wheels being in driving engagement with said links of the band, a pair of lower horizontal guide rails fastened in the bottom area of the hole, a pair of at least substantially vertical guide rails fastened within the hole at said one end thereof, a pair of arc-shaped lower guide rails connecting said vertical guide rails with said pair of lower horizontal guide rails respectively.
A cover arrangement of this kind is known from my German Patent No. 2 646 395. The known cover arrangement uses four deflection wheels at each side of the hole and a pair of endless chains to which the band of supporting members is fastened. When drive motor is driven in one direction, the band is drawn to uncover the hole and, when driven in opposite direction, the band again is drawn to cover the hole.
German Patent Application No. 2 904 399 discloses a cover arrangement that has three supporting member bands arranged side by side and separately driven. The midband is operated in the same manner as in my above mentioned German Patent. The pair of outside bands consist of two halves respectively and only one deflection wheel is provided at each upper end of the hole. According to this concept, both band halves are pushed when moved into the closed position of the hole instead of being drawn. In order to avoid a lifting movement of the band on the supporting rails, guide flanges, overlapping the supporting members, are fastened on the supporting rails. In the open position of the hole, both band halves freely hang down at the frontal ends of the hole.